A “cookie” is a set of information, such as user information and preferences, used by web sites to customize information for a user. A number of web sites register with a “cookie server” and provide the server with information regarding what data fields are expected in cookies submitted from clients to the web site. When a client subsequently browses to that web site, the client first checks with the cookie server for any expected cookies. The cookie server uses the cookie requirement information for that web site, along with user specific information, to generate one or more cookies. The cookie server then transmits the one or more cookies to the client. The client then transmits the one or more cookies to the web site so that the web site may provide a customized web page.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. In a server that provides cookies associated with web sites for a client, a method for generating for the client one or more cookies associated with a web site based on requirements defined by the web site such that the web site an generate a web document that has been customized for the client, the method comprising the following: storing user information at the server that can be used to generate cookies; registering one or more web sites at the server, wherein registering the web sites includes receiving from each web site cookie requirement information specifying what data fields are expected in cookies submitted from a client to the web site; storing the cookie requirement information at the server; providing to the client, a list of web sites that have registered with the server, wherein the server is capable of generating and providing cookies associated with any of said web sites to the client, and wherein the client, prior to issuing a request for a document from a particular web site, determines whether said particular web site is on the list of web sites provided by the server; receiving information from the client indicating that the client is accessing said particular web site, which is registered with the server, and wherein said information is transmitted to the server by the client upon the client determining that the particular web site is on the list of web sites; in response to receiving the information from the client, generating one or more new cookies associated with the particular web site based on the stored cookie requirement in information and the stored user information; and transmitting the one or more newly generated cookies to the client, wherein the client subsequently transmits the onw or more newly generated cookies to the web site to obtain a customized web document.
2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the information received from the client includes a request for one or more cookies corresponding to the particular web site.
3. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising, for at least some of the web sites in the cookie list, receiving the cookie requirement information from an administrator of the web site.
4. A method as recited in claim 1 , futher comprising the following: receiving an indication that a user situation has changed; and changing the user specific information to reflect the change in the user situation.
5. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising storing the one or more generated cookies so as to be accessible to the server.
6. A method as recited in claim 5 , further comprising the following: receiving a subsequent indication that the client is again accessing the particular web site; and transmitting the stored one or more cookies to the client in response to subsequent indication, rather than regenerating the one or more cookies.
7. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the following receiving a subsequent indication that the client is again accessing the particular web site; regenerating the one or more cookies associated with the paticular web site based on the accessed cookie requirement information; and transmitting the regenerated one or more cookies to the client.
8. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the client checks the list of web sites prior to issuing any request for a document from any web site to verify whether said any web site is on the list of web sites.
9. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the client accesses the customized web document without storing any of the one or more newly generated cookies.
10. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein generating the one or more new cookies includes generating a plurality of different cookies for different fields specified in the cookie requirement information with relevant user information.
11. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein generating the one or more new cookies includes generating at least one cookie that combines multiple items of the cookie requirement information and relevant user information.
12. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the server regenerates the one or more cookies each time the client navigates to the web site, and such that the and client and the server do not have to store the one or more cookies.
13. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instruction for implementing the recited in claim 1 .
14. The computer program product as recited in claim 13 , wherein the computer-readable medium is a physical storage media.
15. A computer program product as recited in claim 13 , further comprising computer-executable instructions for implementing the following: detecting the receipt of an indication that a user situation has changed; and changing the user specific information to reflect the change in the user situation.
16. A computer program product as recited in claim 13 , wherein the computer-readable medium also has stored thereon computer-executable instructions for causing the one or more generated cookies to be stored so as to be accessible to the server.
17. A computer program product as recited in claim 16 , wherein the computer-readable medium also has stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing the following: detecting the receipt of a subsequent indication that the client is again accessing the particular web site; and causing the one or more stored cookies to be transmitted to the client in response to subsequent indication, rather than regenerating the one or more cookies.
18. A computer program product as recited in claim 13 , wherein the computer-readable medium also has stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing the following: detecting the receipt a subsequent indication that the client is again accessing the particular web site; regenerating the one or more cookies associated with the particular web site based on the accessed cookie requirement information; and causing the one or more regenerated cookies to be transmitted to the client.
19. In a client that is capable of communicating with a server that provides, to the client, cookies associated with web sites and, the client further being capable of communicating with the web sites, a method of obtaining a customized web document from a web site using one or more cookies generated by the server, the method comprising the following: providing user information to the server that is stored at the server and that can be used to generate cookies requirement information that is also stored at the server and that is provided to the server by one or more web site registered with the server, the cookie requirement information specifying what data fields are expected in cookies submitted from a client to the web site; receiving a list from the server containing the web sites registered with the server, wherein the server is capable of generating and generating and providing cookies associated with any of the web sites to the client; initiating a connection to a particular web site; wherein prior to initiating a connection to the particular web site, determining that the particular web site is associated with an entry in the cookie list; upon determining that the particular web site is associated with an entry in the cookie list, requesting, from the server, one or more new cookies associated with the particular web site; and receiving, from the server, the one or more new cookies associated with the particular web site, the one or more new cookies having been generated by the server in response to receiving information from the client indicating that the client is initiating a connection to the particular web site, wherein the server generated the one or more new cookies based on the cookie requirement information and the user information.
20. A method as recited in claim 19 , further comprising the following: transmitting the one or more cookies to the particular web site; and receiving from the particular web site a customized web document that has been generated at the web site using the one or more cookies.
21. A method as recited in claim 19 , wherein the acts of requesting the one or more cookies and receiving the one or more cookies are conducted without the client transmitting to the server any client information that is to be included in the one or more cookies after determining that the particular web site is associated with an entry in the cookie list.
22. A method as recited in claim 19 , wherein accessing the particular web site is being conducted for the first time, such that receiving the one or more cookies is conducted as the client accesses the particular web site for the first time.
23. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for implementing the method recited in claim 19 .
24. A computer program product as recited in claim 23 , wherein the computer-readable medium comprises a physical storage medium.
25. A computer program product as recited in claim 23 , wherein the method further comprises the following: causing the one or more received cookies to be transmitted to the particular web site; and detecting the receipt, from the particular web site, of a customized web document that has been generated at the web site using the one or more received cookies.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 15, 2001
August 23, 2005
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